While many people spend days researching and comparing various scopes on the market, they often fail to consider the importance of getting the right scope bases, mounts and scope rings.
As these are really the foundation of the scope, making a poor choice, or simply selecting whatever happens to be offered through your local dealer, may result in problems with accuracy and constant issues with having to sight in the scope over and over.
Sometimes the scope gets the blame for the problem when it fact, it is often the rings, the mount, the base, or a combination of all three. Therefore, and to avoid these types of problems, it is essential to choose the right rings, base and mount to secure and hold the scope in the right location and without any inconsistency in the ability to hit the target.
A Mount
For most manufacturers and gun owners the term “mount” is used to indicate the base and the rings that come in one piece. This allows you to simply install the scope on the gun using the mount, eliminating the need to make adjustments to the system other than sighting in the scope.
The Rings
The scope rings are really clamps that hold the scope to the base. Most rings can be interchanged with different bases, but this is not always the case. The most important factor is that the rings have to be correctly sized for the base, and there are different types of rings based on the specific size, type and style of both the gun and the scope.
For example, there is a type of rings known as Weaver Style. These will be designed to fit on a seven-eighths inch base. They also have a recoil lug that can be tightened to prevent movement of the scope based on recoil.
Other types of specialized scope rings include tipoff rings and dovetail rings. The dovetail rings are designed to fit into a groove that runs along the top of the gun. The feet or the claws of the ring actually fit into the groove to provide additional security for the scope, and these are most common found on .22s.
Ideally, look for scope rings with a minimal rise height. This allows the scope to be just off the barrel for most types of use. However, some guns are more commonly seen with a higher design to the rings, and for some shooters, it will be a personal preference to determine the specific location of the scope in relation to the barrel.
